Reports

Teenage pregnancy in the Dominican Republic is a complex problem and of high concern to the national agenda. Available data indicate that 22% of women between 12-19 years have been pregnant. This rate is 34% higher than the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. Teenage pregnancy is concentrated in specific areas of the country – the southern provinces and central Cibao - as well as among poorer people. The fact that the indicator (adolescent fertility rate) has shown little variation in the last three decades makes the picture complex. All this poses a development challenge that requires urgent attention, especially in a country that has experienced significant progress in terms of economic growth and improvements in many of its social indicators.

The intrinsic value of sports and physical activities (SPAs) is already well-established, just like their relation to good health, sociability, cognition, productivity, and quality of life as a whole. Even so, most people are not involved with these practices. This National Human Development Report assumes that SPAs have the potential to enrich our lives and increase the freedom of choice of every individual—they are rights, not duties. As a result, we strongly advocate for governments to adopt public policies consistent with the importance of SPAs for human development, as well as prescribe similar initiatives for the private sector and civil society organizations.

Social Innovation for Inclusive Human Development

The purpose of this Human Development Report entitled “Social Innovation for Inclusive Human Development” is to explore policy options to help address the upcoming challenges through innovations in social policies and public administration.

China’s unique national conditions make it difficult to use precedents as reference or to duplicate international experience. Thus this report, based on experience and lessons, especially the experience of social innovation, makes suggestions to improve human development that is more inclusive with a reduced level of inequality.

These suggestions include innovation of policy itself and recommendations for reform of the implementa­tion mechanisms and governance pattern in specific sectors. The ultimate goal is to help the government to: continue the development-oriented social policies towards more inclusiveness and fairness; enhance efficiency by changing orientation and management of public investment; and improve mechanisms and capacity of social participation.